Especially after the disappointing Buffalo Bills offensive performance in the upset loss to the Dolphins last week, one would've assumed that Sean McDermott and Company were about to come back in full force with their top weapons. And maybe that's the case, but that also came with a stunning decision on the matter with former Top 35 pick Keon Coleman getting the boot from the gameday roster.
Reports emerged on Saturday and were confirmed on Sunday ahead of Buffalo's Week 11 matchup with the Buccaneers that Coleman will be out due to a coach's decision. Effectively, Coleman is a healthy scratch from the Bills offense, with recent additions Mecole Hardman and Gabe Davis being put onto the active roster as his replacements. But it's hard not to look at the developing situation with Coleman and, even more so, the guys replacing him and not think about Brandon Beane whiffing on adding a wide receiver at the trade deadline.
Bills' empty-handed trade deadline looks worse with Keon Coleman benching
To be clear, Beane and the Bills reportedly did try to address the receiver position, and perhaps their big-eyed targets were a sign that they were losing faith in Coleman as a top option for Josh Allen. The most high-profile player Buffalo reportedly pursued was Dolphins speedster Jaylen Waddle, but couldn't get to a price that they and Miami agreed upon.
Having said that, the Bills didn't get Waddle, nor did they make a meaningful trade addition at wide receiver after coming up short in negotiations with Miami. And while you have to respect Buffalo swinging for the fences for a true game-changing trade, to not make that deal and, instead, end up with two receivers who have been on the periphery of the league throughout the 2025 season is already disappointing.
It's more disappointing, though, for those additions to be effective replacements for Coleman rather than supplementary options to Coleman. This isn't some late-round young receiver that we're talking about being a healthy scratch — he was the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 draft, the first pick of the second round and the Bills' top selection of that draft class.
This isn't to say that Buffalo is burying Coleman, nor that the receiver can't come back from this. However, the Bills aren't in the rebuilding business right now. With Allen at the helm, this is a team that came into the year with Super Bowl aspirations, which haven't dissipated yet. Searching for answers at receiver and, in turn, for the offense more than halfway through the season isn't indicative of a team that's in a particularly good place.
Keon Coleman debacle raises serious questions about the Bills
The loss to Miami in Week 10 exposed a potential fatal flaw for Buffalo, one that ideally Coleman could've helped answer. James Cook has been a revelation out of the backfield this season with a dominant overall performance — but we may not have realized how integral his production and role were for this offense to even function.
When Cook was shut down largely by the Dolphins, though, it became abundantly clear that the Bills offense was a lost lamb trying to find its way. That's not a shot at Allen, because we know damn well what the all-world quarterback is capable of. However, with some injuries to the pass-catchers and a receiving corps without an alpha, Buffalo was forced to rely on its passing attack and came up well short in the surprising loss.
Again, Coleman was drafted to be the antidote to situations like that, or at least the Neosporin to help the healing. The fact that he was so actively not a part of the solution to the point that he was scratched from the active gameday roster the following week is jarring, to say the least.
The way reports around the situation have been phrased or worded, most notably highlighting that there were things the Bills want the young wideout to still work on, indicate that the franchise isn't giving up on their former second-round pick. Instead, they're simply trying to send a message to get more from him. And anyone ruling that happening out without any evidence would be just plain foolish.
At the same time, though, this does entirely prove that any concerns about the Bills offense were not remotely overblown. McDermott and Beane are searching for answers to help get things right around Allen. I'm pretty sure Hardman and Davis aren't the answer, to be sure, but it does make you wonder if the general manager's laser focus on a pie-in-the-sky trade deadline target might be a big part of the reason that Buffalo is currently in this position.